Farrell Likely Out For Sacred Heart Game

The Daily Hampshire Gazette has a basketball notebook which mentions that sophomore swingman Javorn Farrell is likely to miss Wednesday's game vs. Sacred Heart.

"His ankle swelled up and he was having some major pain afterward," said UMass coach Derek Kellogg, who wanted to be cautious. "It's early in the season. We need him to be healthy to do anything special this season

Farrell likely out for UMass game against Sacred Heart

AMHERST - The setback that prevented sophomore Javorn Farrell from playing in the Minutemen's season-opener Friday will likely keep him out of Wednesday's 7 p.m. game against Sacred Heart at the Mullins Center.

Farrell, who suffered an ankle sprain early in preseason, tried to practice on it late last week with poor results.

"His ankle swelled up and he was having some major pain afterward," said UMass coach Derek Kellogg, who wanted to be cautious. "It's early in the season. We need him to be healthy to do anything special this season.

Kellogg hoped Farrell might return for Saturday's 7 p.m. game against New Mexico State in the Tip-Off Classic at the MassMutual Center.

Farrell said he was proud of his teammates' comeback against Rider Friday, but was frustrated that he couldn't help.

"In the first half, I felt as though I could have played defense on some of their players and helped in the first half and I just wanted to be in the game when we made that run in the second half," he said.

Kellogg confirmed that Cothron went home this weekend to Alabama and hadn't returned on Monday.

Rumors have been swirling over the past few weeks that Cothron, a highly-touted nonqualifer from Huntsville, Ala., was considering leaving UMass for either a junior college or professionally overseas. At UMass, Cothron would sit out the 2010-11 season and be eligible to play next year.

"He went home a little before the weekend and is not back yet," Kellogg said. "I'm not sure what the situation is. It's kind of wait and see."

Cothron was not in attendance at the Rider game.

Cothron originally committed to North Carolina State, but changed his mind and signed with Auburn. Because the Southeastern Conference does not accept nonqualifiers, Auburn could not admit him.

Cothron averaged 31 points and 14 rebounds as a high school senior and was a consensus No. 20 power forward among recruit rankings.

A REDSHIRT IN XXL - Walk-on center Andrew McCarthy will likely redshirt this year according to Kellogg.

"It's not definite, but I think that's where we're headed with him," Kellogg said.

McCarthy, the 7-foot-1 walk-on from Scituate, showed the coaching staff enough promise that it would be worth it for them to help him develop this season in hopes that he'll be able to contribute in the future. "Andrew has done some good things in practice. He's never played the game at the speed of this level and sometimes when you're a bigger guy, it takes you a little longer to get acclimated," Kellogg said. "But if he gets up to 260-270 pounds (from 240) and moves the way he does now, who knows, maybe he could help us someday."

Kellogg said he can't believe McCarthy had no Division I offers.

"When I watch him in practice I can't believe lower Division I team didn't offer him a scholarship," Kellogg said. "He's a 7-foot kid from New England, who has great academics, who can run the floor and has pretty good hands. I would think he's a lower Division I kid who could play himself into a better level. To have no scholarships on the table is strange to me."

CAGE GAME TIME MOVABLE - UMass is scheduled to play Holy Cross at the Curry Hicks Cage at 3 p.m. on Nov. 27. But according to UMass spokesman Jason Yellin, the game could be moved to earlier or later in the day, if the school is hosting a football playoff game on the same day. The Championship Subdivision Playoff bracket will be released Sunday.